Colt MARS
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| Colt MARS | |
|---|---|
| Type | Personal defense weapon |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Colt |
| Designed | 1997 |
| Manufacturer | Colt |
| No. built | 3 |
| Specifications | |
| Barrel length | 10.5 in (270 mm) |
| Cartridge | 5.56×30mm MARS[1] 9x30mm MARS |
| Action | Gas-actuated, rotating bolt |
| Muzzle velocity | 790 m/s (2,592 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 300 meters |
| Feed system | 30-round box magazine |
| Sights | 1.5x optical sight |
The Colt MARS (mini-assault rifle system) was an experimental, scaled-down variant of the M16 rifle tested by Colt as a personal defense weapon (PDW) around 1997.[2] It was chambered for the experimental 5.56×30mm MARS cartridge which is a shortened 5.56×45mm NATO round.[3][2] The 5.56×30mm cartridge fired a 55-grain (3.6 g) projectile at 790 m/s (2,591.9 ft/s). The rifle was patented in 1998.[4]
See also
- Amogh carbine - AK-based PDW with similar cartridge.
AR-based Personal Defense Weapon
References
- ^ Modern Personal Defense Weapon Calibers 005: The 5.56x30mm MARS By Nathaniel F - The Firearm Blog Archived June 3, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Christopher R. Bartocci (January 2009). "Colt's 5.56X30MM MARS (mini assault rifle system) program". Small Arms Review. 12 (4). Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
- ^ "(022) .22″ Colt MARS – Military Cartridges". web.archive.org. 2023-06-12. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ US patent 5827992, Michael R Harris & James F Taylor, "Gas operated firearm", issued 1998-10-27, assigned to Colt's Manufacturing Company
